If
by Valentyn
Summary: "He's a traitor and a rival. He doesn't deserve you, and doesn't love you Hinata," the head Hyuga said coldly. Sasuke clenched his fists,"Everything you said is true, except for what you said last."
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **If

**Summary:** [SasuHina] "He's a traitor and a rival. He doesn't deserve you, and doesn't love you, Hinata," the head Hyuga said coldly. Sasuke clenched his fists, "Everything you said is true, except for what you said last."

**Rating:** T (or PG-13) Why not call it PG-13? Ask fanfiction.

**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Pairings: **SasuHina, KibaHina, and every other guy that falls for Hinata, but fails miserably.

**AN:** Depending on interest level, I may/may not update immediately...though I know exactly where I'm going with this fic. hope it wins your approval heh (:

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto...owns nothing apparently.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Prologue <strong>

_Are your still dreaming, sleeping? Are you measuring all the tears you've shed?_  
><em>Hope is a paper boat that sinks, isn't it sad?<em>

_~Epik High - One _

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><p>No one in the Hyuga compound fully understood why she had chosen him. Of all the suitors, including her share of handsome, wealthy, genius, talented men across the villages, it had to be a particular man.<p>

.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_Flashback: _

They arrived in at the village gates with their hair flattened by rain, and shirts stained carmine from the blood; a sight that may have incited the ANBU to tear the flesh off the handsome, raven-haired man, if it was not for the woman resting angelically in his arms. The guards withdrew a handful of kunais from their chest pockets, but lowered their weapon as the Hokage approached.

"Tsunade-sama, just give me the order. My kunai is itching to slit his throat."

"I know..." the blonde, pallid elder woman exhaled deeply. It was inevitable that the whole of Konoha would wish to execute this man; the single catalyst that was the source of suffering and chaos for the past five years. But taking his life now was too late; it wouldn't have solved anything anyway. She gestured for them to retreat.

"Stay back for now."

The guards' appalled expression matched that of the crowd, but they withdrew nevertheless.

"Drop all your weapons." She commanded.

With lightening speed, the longsword from the handsome, yet deadly stranger's sheath fell with a clang at his feet. Several bystanders sighed with relief, even though they knew weapon alone would not have reduced an ell of his monstrous power. At the Hokage's command, he eased the woman off his arms and allowed the medics to surround him.

"Is she alive?"

"Her heartbeats are slow, but she's alive."

"Thank goodness...our poor Hyuga heiress."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When the raven-haired man saw that he was no longer needed, he deactivated his bloodshot eyes, distinctive of the Uchiha clan's bloodline.

"Sasuke." The familiar voice of the wise, blonde woman broke the silence. She could barely lay her eyes on him. The one she had failed to contain in the asylum of the village.

"Tsunade," he acknowledged with a nod.

"The war's over. You've played your part, now you should leave."

"I will once I find out Hinata's condition."

"It has nothing to do with you."

"Maybe...but I'm staying until then."

She felt the heat rise to her face, but held back all impulse to crush the indignant man. No, not even worthy of that title, he was still a teen engulfed by his willful hate for Konoha.

"You think the village is a place you can destroy and come back? …A place for you to toil around?" She heard a sigh, but didn't allow him a chance to respond.

"We don't need your sympathy, and you don't need ours."

"I'm sincere. If I could repay what I did..." she looked at him intently, the Uchiha never hesitated: it simply was a word that didn't exist in his vocabulary.

"But it's too late."

Pointless. The conversation would never end on a compromising note. He knew that, Tsunade knew that, everyone knew that. He had crossed the line ages ago, and redemption was way beyond his game.

He turned on his heels to leave.

"What made you change your mind?" A voice behind him echoed.

The onyx-eyed Uchiha brushed his bangs to the side. Tsunade could've sworn she saw him give a nostalgic smile as the man replied in a whisper.

_"Hinata Hyuga."_

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> This is the shortest chapter of this fic I swear, longer chaps and stronger material to come. Tell me what you guys think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **If

**Summary:** [SasuHina] "He's a traitor and a rival. He doesn't deserve you, and doesn't love you, Hinata," the head Hyuga said coldly. Sasuke clenched his fists, "Everything you said is true, except for what you said last."

**Rating:** T (or PG-13) Why not call it PG-13? Ask fanfiction.

**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Pairings: **SasuHina, KibaHina, and every other guy that falls for Hinata, but fails miserably.

**Disclaimer:** Possibility of owning Naruto is close to none

**AN:** Thanks for your patience... I'll try to answer some of your questions at the end. You might be wondering why I have such an un-unique title (yes, I feel it too), it's supposed to correspond to the title of this fic. For example: If...he cared. would be how you read this chapter's full title (:

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: He Cared<strong>

_But I'd never let it go to a point I'm ragin', throwin' making you uncomfortable_  
><em>What he didn't, did to you was unacceptable<em>  
><em>You claimed everything was okay. That's impossible<em>  
><em>Just know I'm here for you<em>

_~Wedding Dress, Taeyang _

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><p>They didn't call her the fifth Hokage for nothing. The usual village head office had severl custodians to maintain the spotless environment. However, it was Tsunade's job to erase those office etiquettes of her first practical work day.<p>

The desks were so cluttered with scrolls, sheets and an assortment of fast foods that without careful navigation you wouldn't have detected her presence behind the mess.

"Come in," her enervated voice echoed.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't need to be told twice.

"Sit," she gestured as Sauke slipped casually into the chair with folded arms.

"I agreed to let you stay." She paused. "But don't assume that you have the same rights as anyone else."

"I know," he replied distantly. "I'm not assuming anything."

There was no doubt this was the same teenager that had abandoned Konoha five years ago. The same bitter insolence that was enough to enrage even the Hokage. _Some things never change. _Tsunade thought in amusement.

"You've been put on a probation list under the leadership of ANBU." She described. "You may be Uchiha Sasuke, but you're _not_ formidable, I will see to it myself that you have changed."

The raven-haired genius checked his watch and nodded with mild blasé. Knowing Sasuke, he would've at least rolled his eyes or raised an eyebrow, but he did neither. It was his way of showing respect – and that was enduring the old lady's lecture.

"You have no idea how much you're asking," she said lowering her voice. "The village was adamant in their decision to execute you."

_As if that was a surprise. _His mind flashed him a portrait of the destruction of Konoha months ago. _If only they knew who was behind all this… Then maybe they would understand at least an ounce of what I've gone through. _

"Thank you." His eyes bore into Tsunade's, almost mirroring the remorse in her's. "I'm asking more than I should. But it's my last request."

"But of course, there's a price that must be paid." Tsunade smirked, eyes glistening maliciously. God knows what she's conjuring in that deviant mind of hers. But one thing was for sure. This was punishment for Sasuke's sudden appearance.

What did he expect? It was Tsunade after all, and whatever punishment came from her. It meant his grave. But he was ready to embrace it.

"Anything," he challenged.

Twirling a pen in her hands, she hesitated a brief moment before smiling broadly. "Go back to high school."

The smirk left Sasuke's face. _What did she say? _

"No." He said flatly.

"You said anything didn't you? Well this is your chance to redeem yourself." For once, the woman was glad to have read just about everything Sasuke was thinking of at the moment. _Fan. Girls. Oh yes, threatening creatures they were. _

Before she could dismiss him, he waved a rude hand gesture and slammed the door of the office behind him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Please accept this chocolate as a token of my gratitude for your return!"

"No, please take mine instead!"

"Wait, would do you prefer flowers or chocolates?"

The quarrel in front of him was making him feel light-headed rather than welcomed. _Why was getting to his locker so hard? _

It had been five years since he left Konoha and had quite forgotten what it was like bombarded by gifts everyday. Not that he didn't appreciate the attention or anything, but five years later…it was as if he pressed the rewind button and nothing ever changed.

He winced a little when a blonde girl energetically stuffed two movie tickets into his satchel. It was rather odd seeing some of the same faces, only with a few extra layers of…what were those called again? Some form of powder and lining around their eyes. Too much of one thing could make anyone raise an eyebrow.

If he was still a shadow of what he was back then, he would have probably elbowed his way through the pool of people with little difficulty. But his mind kept telling him otherwise.

_You're on a freaking probation period. Make one wrong move and you're dead. _He heard Tsunade's voice so clearly that it gave him the chills.

"I will see it to myself that you have changed…" _From this expression, Sasuke knew she was dead serious. _

_But, some things just don't change._ He reminded himself. The scene right in front of him was a compelling enough example. If he could release Chidori right this instant, he would have been more than happy to see 30 frozen bodies.

_But freedom… or restraint? _

_Long-term happiness… or momentary leisure?_

Sasuke wasn't stupid. He had a particular blue-haired woman to tend to and wasn't about to take a risk now.

_Smile, just smile. _He clenched his fists. _How hard was it? Very. _

He snapped back into attention and feigned something between a smile and a frown for the next girl in line.

"Erm, thanks." He managed before pushing his way past the hall. "I need to have a word with…Kakashi-sensei." Mesmerized by his presence, the group waved a synchronized farewell. It took about a minute for one person to realize that Kakashi's room was in the opposite direction.

The afternoon comprised of a course selecting program in which Sasuke passed with ease. With recommendations from several teachers, he was automatically put into Advanced Taijutsu, Advanced Arithmetic, Honors Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. The supplementary ones included History and Healing which didn't particularly appeal to him.

And with that, the day was over. _See? That wasn't so bad…_He quickly called in a taxi before he could be jumped on by some girl who "accidentally" tripped behind him.

School wasn't his main priority right now. _I'll just go for Tsunade's sake._ He told himself. Besides, he needed to confirm Hinata's wellbeing before he could do anything else.

"The hospital," he said to the taxi driver.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The moment he arrived, he sprinted up the hallways, neglecting the unimpressed glances from several nurses. She was mostly likely under the Intensive Care Units, judging by her weak physique and immense blood loss.

He could see the fresh imaged in his mind.

He wished he had arrived before Madara had done considerable harm to her. But by the time he had stepped within 20 meters of Madara's hideout, he knew it was too late. The stench of blood overwhelmed his nasal passages, while cold sweat poured down his neck. The panic he felt then was the same panic he had felt years ago when he raced back to the Uchiha Compound. The feeling of emptiness he was so familiar with.

But he wasn't the one that saved her. Well, at least that's what he told himself. Hinata was stubborn…So stubborn in fact that when Sasuke found her unconscious, she was still struggling to breath, searching for every ounce of will to live. She was stronger than him. Stronger than he'll ever be in that sense.

"Uchiha-san, we can't let you in at the moment." Sasuke felt his senses fall back into place as a blushing nurse held him back from the threshold of the patients' room.

"I want to see her." Was his only reply.

"She's asleep right now, shall we inform you when she's awake?" The nurse asked politely.

"I won't disturb her," his eyes bore into that of the nurse still unconvinced of his statement. "I promise."

Half-heartedly the young brunette unlocked the door for him.

His Sharingan scanned the room instinctively and found the kunoichi lying on her side at the far end of the hospital room. Carefully, he shut the door behind him and walked past the other sleeping patients and stopped at the foot of her bed.

The blue-haired woman's sides were tightly bandaged, and she held a fraction of the blanket to her chest, while the upper half of her body was exposed.

Careful not to wake her, he took a seat beside her fragile body and slowly slid the covering off her abdomen, examining the damage that was done.

He traced his hand around her middle, imaging what he had witnessed several nights before they returned to Konoha.

_It was a close call. _He sighed. _You could've have given up, then maybe you wouldn't have to suffer this much. So why didn't she? _

"Stubborn woman," he muttered under his breath.

His words made her stir a little, and Sasuke immediately regretted his exclamation. Watching her turn her face towards him, he removed his hand from her abdomen pulled the covers back up.

"Sasuke-kun." She bit her lip to hold in her pain. He winced a little at her discomfort.

He was looking at her a bit more carefully. Her face to pale, and was favoring one side of her body. A red flag went up in his mind.

Instinctively, he clasped her shoulders gently and tucked her underneath the covers. He didn't know how many injuries she had, and didn't trust himself to pick her up and possibly press against one of them.

"I'm right here Hinata," He reassured.

There was a brief moment before the door swung open again, and a doctor this time hurried into the room making a beeline for Hinata's bed. He nodded at Sasuke as a 'hello' and retrieved his clipboard.

"Ah ," He stared at his papers. "Would you like privacy or would you like me to tell you the results of your physical now?"

"Let's hear it," she said wearily.

"Considering the circumstances, both the nurses and I believe it was extremely fortunate for you to still be alive."

He gave a faint smile. "You managed to make it out with severe abdominal trauma from the blood loss, organ vulnerability, chakra exhaustion…" he traced his index finger down his clipboard. "Oh and there are two broken rib bones above your diaphragm."

She could feel Sasuke's muscles tightening beside her. She slowly reached out to them, and watched them relax to some degree.

"You'll want to get lot of rest and we'll continue to transfuse blood to you until your blood pressure reaches the normal range."

"Thanks," Hinata nodded politely.

"Also," the doctor pointed towards the door. "I believe you have some other visitors here as well."

The trio watched two other white-eyed men stride in wearing a distinctive frown on their faces. The moment the younger man noticed the Sharingan-user by her bedside, he narrowed his eyes, casting a look of absolute disgust at the man, who returned his glare. The older man on the other hand ignored his presence entirely.

The object of his concern was struggling to push herself up with her elbows but to no avail. A mild smile breached her face as she greeted her father.

"Father I'm so glad-"

"Hinata," he interrupted coldly. "You're a disgrace to the Hyuga clan like this."

All hope in the frail girl left her as she looked through the window, avoiding the gaze of the powerful head of the Hyuga clan. What did she expect? The one that couldn't return from the war like everyone else. The one that was dubbed "missing" for over five months...

"We all thought you were dead," he began when she couldn't respond. "The least you could have done was return to the village and be of some use during the most crucial moments."

"Hn perhaps," another voice replied for her. "If Madara wasn't torturing her to death."

Hinata opened her mouth to reply, but shut them immediately, knowing they would only fuel the fire in her father's voice. She wanted to scream out everything in the past five months. What life was like living with two of the most powerful S-ranked shinobis…in truth, part of her had died during the five months, torture to the extreme and pain that she couldn't put into words, but she was alive. It was because and only because someone had given her the power.

And that someone was sitting right beside her all along. Perhaps, his subconscious actions were subtle, but they weren't without meaning. She was thankful he had said everything she meant to say in a sentence.

Hinata's father's eyes shot in the Uchiha's direction, suppressing his anger.

"And who might you be?" He said sarcastically. "Uchiha Sasuke, the one who abandoned his village, joined Akatsuki, destroyed his village and returned?"

Neji sneered in the corner, causing the bedridden girl to wince a little.

"Father," she managed. "Please…Sasuke-kun saved us. It was Madara who used-"

"Maybe it's you who should learn your manners when you've dishonored us all."

Silence followed the old man's icy stare. Yesterday, she was almost convinced that escaping death had meant something. But now, the overwhelming presence of her father was getting to her, crushing any dwindling sense of hope left in her.

After what felt like the longest pause in history, the intimidating voice of the Hyuga clan leader pierced the silence.

"So I see," he turned to the Uchiha, his voice lowering an octave. "This is how it is Uchiha, you've not only managed to destroy your village, but you're corrupting my daughter as well."

"You can put whatever words in my mouth as you'd like." Despite Hinata's nudges beside him, he was going to glare right back at the man. Maybe he had no right to after promising the list of off-limits with Tsunade…but he wasn't about to let Hinata fend for herself either. Oh well, he had already crossed the line.

"I'm doing no such thing," The elder sneered. "But you should watch yourself Uchiha, this will be the last you'll see of my daughter."

He turned on his heels towards the door without as much as a glance at his daughter.

"Neji here," he lifted his chin to indicate to his nephew. "Will take care of that."

Satisfaction seemed to ooze out from the younger Hyuga's smirk as if mocking the glare on the fair-haired Uchiha's face. _Have you learned your lesson Uchiha? _

_No, I haven't. _He narrowed his elegant brows.

_I'll make sure you will._

_If that's the way you wanted to play it..._

Then let the games begin.

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><p><span>Reader's Q and A period!<span>

Q: How did Hinata manage to convince Sasuke to return when Naruto failed to do the same?

A: I believe Naruto's intentions can be justified, but his actions can not. How can you force your own ideals upon someone else's ? His intentions put in exact words were, "I'm going to beat Sasuke to a pulp and bring him back no matter what!" Which would have repeatedly failed...the only plausible way is to flip his ideologies using the only human part left in him - his emotions. If anyone can do it, it's Hinata.

Q: What happened before Sasuke/Hinata returned to Konoha?

A: I'm just going to answer by stating the obvious; Hinata did something significant. To be revealed...And no, Sasuke is/will not be out of character, he will be exactly as you have witnessed in Shippuden all along. It's AU with a twist :)

Q: Where did you get the idea from?

A: To be honest, this is purely original. It's just the way I'd picture Sasuke's official return.

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**AN:** I'm absolutely overwhelmed and grateful beyond belief with the level of interest this fic have had. I hope this chap meets your expectations! Good? Bad? Review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **If

**Summary:** [SasuHina] "He's a traitor and a rival. He doesn't deserve you, and doesn't love you, Hinata," the head Hyuga said coldly. Sasuke clenched his fists, "Everything you said is true, except for what you said last."

**Rating:** T (or PG-13) Why not call it PG-13? Ask fanfiction.

**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Pairings: **SasuHina

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto...though it would be nice if I did *sigh*

**AN:** I'm still shocked at the number of reviews! Thanks for your patience and support. Again this chap's name corresponds to the title, so If...he dared. would be how you read this chapter's full title (:

**_NikkiNitemare_** asked about the song quotes, and yes, I love korean music. It's a personal placebo for stress lol

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: He dared <strong>

_Before the cool done run out_  
><em>I'll be giving it my bestest<em>  
><em>Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention<em>  
><em>I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some.<em>

_~Jason Mraz -I'm yours_

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><p><em>Wham!<em>

A pillow sailed across the air, but before it could land, a gigantic wave of Chidori met its soft cover, releasing confetti of feathers into the air.

"How dare that..."

He caught a handful of feathers in the air...

"Son of a..."

The feathers caught on fire...

"Bitch..."

The feathers turn to soot...

He had never been so humiliated in his entire life and worse of all, in front of Hinata. He wished he had met the full extent of the Hyugas without holding back...then he might be a little more satisfied.

The youngest Uchiha slouched into the nearest armchair in his room at the Uchiha compound, clearing his mind from the day's events.

_Calm yourself._ The rational part of his brain echoed. _You still have to keep your cool. Otherwise you lose. _And He hated losing.

The fancy doorbell melody began ringing as he lifted himself reluctantly from the leather couch dusting pillow down off his hair and clothes. He couldn't wait to take his anger out on whoever was on the other side of the door.

Peeking through the windows, he caught a glimpse of distinct blonde, he almost considered retreating from the door, but instead he just paused.

"That's it. I'm done for." he mentally noted swinging the Oak double doors. Hokage was at his front doors, which either meant he should pack up his belongings now or just wait for his punishment.

Before he could make out an image, a shade of blonde hair was in his face and tackled him to the ground. Sasuke didn't retaliate, but braced for the worst.

"Teme!" the scruff voice almost blew his eardrums. What the...

"You finally come back and you don't even greet me huh? You have got some nerve."

"Let," he coughed helplessly. "Go."

When he finally freed himself from the blonde teen's grasp, he sighed with relief.

"Why do you have to pay me a visit now dobe?"

Mentally, he was overjoyed to know it wasn't the Hokage who rang his doorbell. For if it was, he would have more than just Naruto to deal with.

"Cause you'd better give me a damn good reason why you came back." Sapphire eyes stared intently into obsidian.

Was this the same trouble-inducing idiot from five years ago? The Sharingan-user couldn't help but notice how much his comrade had changed. His silly, squinty eyes had matured into serious, fiery ones. Shoulders, once covered in his orange-yellow jumpsuit, were brawny with tiresome training. Even his height had caught up. Now, he could meet the intensity of his glare at eye-level.

He knew he would have to meet old faces again in the future if he was going to stay in the village. But oddly, he had never planned any of this. For a methodical, logical person, he was slowly moving along without a plan. Everything from meeting Hinata, to returning to his village, to raging at Hiashi and Neji seemed like a coincidence. But whenever he searched his mind for regret that he wasn't somewhere else seeking revenge, he found none. Was this what peace brought him? The ability to forget?

"Fine." Sasuke sighed in defeat. "But first, help me clean up this place."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"For a clean person, you sure are messy," Naruto laughed when they dusted off the last window on the balcony.

Naruto hadn't expected him to be invited into the grand Uchiha mansion, but was grateful nonetheless. In a mere hour, they were able to exterminate the house from cobwebs and rodents. For once, Sasuke truly appreciated the housekeeping of an Uchiha maid, for it saved him precious time to train and complete missions.

"Shut up. It's been five years."

He slumped into a couch, breathing through his nose. He had to admit, Naruto's two thousand shadow clone jutsu helped immensely in the process.

"So then... Why now?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, allowing him to continue.

"Why do you suddenly realize now?"

"No reason."

"Don't lie Sasuke. Tell me the truth." Naruto's eyebrows furrowed dangerously.

Sasuke hesitated briefly merely to contemplate the best excuse to get the blonde dobe off his back. But then it occured to him; no matter what excuse it was, the truth would be revealed sooner or later. Tsunade knew. And it was only in a matter of time before the whole village knew. Anything regarding his name meant bold news for the shinobi world.

"Someone from this village"

"WHO?"

Some more of the dobe's hollering and he was going to need hearing aids for sure.

"You'd better keep your mouth shut."

When Naruto winked at him creepily.

"A Hyuga,"

Naruto's mouth made the classic 'o', eyes as wide as lightbulbs.

"No way..."

"Are you satisfied now?"

"But he's such a jerk, how could he be the..."

"She," the youngest Uchiha hissed. How could anyone be as oblivious as the idiot in front of him? Though he had to mentally agree with what he said.

Another look of awe swept across his teammate's face.

"You're kidding."

But then before he could comprehend the situation, a quirky, sly smile stretched his lips.

"So are you going to..."

At first his smile only bemused the Uchiha. It was only after he mouthed the un-speak able word that he understood.

Sasuke resumed his all too famous smirk, "Unlike you, I don't ask out every girl I meet."

The blonde blushed and combed his hair with his hand, "Alright! But why not?"

The raven-haired man folded his arms, leaning on the frame of a door.

"I told you, it's not my thing."

He had an odd feeling about revealing the truth to Naruto. In earnest, he wondered how long it would be before their casual conversation ended up on the newspaper headlines. Two days? Five days? A week?

"Besides," he added. "There's a dad and a...jerk watching my every move."

He watched his comrade shake his head disapprovingly. It took him 30 seconds to regret what he had said. First, it implied that he feared the two white-eyed freaks, and second, he had considered "dating" Hinata. Oh god, what did he just do.

Before Sasuke could scold himself, the blonde teen had already scooted two feet closer to him, causing goose-bumps to form on his staunch muscles.

"Is that it?" His sly smile gave Sasuke the chills. "You need some help?"

No he didn't need help. But strangely enough, he wanted to hear whatever Naruto was concocting in his immature mind.

"Hn."

Naruto took the sound as a signal for him to break the Uchiha-Uzumaki barrier and started whispering every strategy he concocted within a mere 30 seconds.

When he finally finished the last syllable, both men smirked in their own unique way; the raven-haired in an amused, arrogant one and the blonde in a sheepish, quirky one.

But it was Sasuke who broke the silence.

"You know dobe, for once your plan might actually work."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"How dare he speak to me that way..."

"Hiashi-sama, I have your tea," the younger Hyuga gingerly handed him a cup and brought two moist towels and began massaging his uncle.

"Insolent brat," he muttered hastily between sips.

"Did you see the way he looked at my daughter?" The senior straightened his back, brows twitching and white pupils narrowing into slits. Even for Neji, it was the first time to see the Hyuga leader this infuriated.

"Love?" Neji surmised. He gently draped the warm towel on his uncle's back, massaging his aching muscles.

"No," Hiashi replied abruptly. "Lust."

"Ah."

From his past experiences with his uncle, he could safely assume that he had the wrath that was enough to set the entire compound on fire or at least induce severe damages on people and or things. So, it was from this experience that he learned to act both empathetic and sensitive in situations such as these. In case he ended up being his anger-quencher.

"Do you know what this means Neji?"

The latter waited patiently and was now drying his back. Of course he knew what it meant. It meant the Uchiha was dead meat. Despite his overwhelmingly arrogant and excessive egoism, he was a man who kept his words. No amount of flowery words could hold back his resolve to psychologically destroy the last survivor of the Uchiha clan.

"My daughter will be forever cursed with that wretched criminal," he spat with disgust.

The Hyuga prodigy said nothing, but pulled out two identical scrolls, unmistakably from the Hokage's archives. Two fine cursive names were etched onto the bamboo.

"It's unlikely that will happen. In fact," he replied indifferently. "I did some research."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow in amusement.

He unfurled the contents of the scroll, with detailed background and shinobi rankings inside. Hiashi perused through the pictures of his daughter and the raven-haired Uchiha, then looked up at his nephew with curiosity.

"And?"

He slid his fingers down the photo of his timid, but beautiful daughter.

"Sasuke's element is fire and Hinata's is..."

"Water," Hiashi finished abruptly.

"Exactly. Polar opposites."

This time, replacing the quizzical expression was a broad, sardonic smile. He patted the teen audibly on the back.

"Good work Neji," he returned to sip his tea. "I can safely say I feel better already."

Neji nodded at his acknowledgment.

"But suppose fire ever mixes with water," he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "We should take some...precautions. After all, the Uchiha is a sly one."

"Not to worry Hiashi-sama," Neji smirked, as if he had been waiting for the very statement.

Pulling a flow-chart neatly from his pocket, he raised them for his uncle to examine. The carefully detailed plan was like a dichotomous key, branching off into various modes of action. There was a reason they called him a genius. The old man chuckled merrily, eyes glowing with pride at his nephew. There was not a hint of doubt in his eyes that his flow chart could fail. From the intricate design to the flawless modus operandi, it seemed all-too-similar to a chess game. A game that _he_ was going to win regardless.

"Perfect," the old man clapped his hands in approval.

"So, where shall we begin?"

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><p><span>Reader's Q and A period!<span>

Q: Where are the other rookies?

A: You got a glimpse of Naruto in this chap, which should tell you the other are on their way! dun dun dun...

Q: Was Hinata captured by Madara for five months?

A: From the hints I've laid out in the fic, yes.

**AN:** Hope you guys all liked that. No SasuHina scene unfortunately, but I had fun writing this one.

Don't forget to check out Polaris, the oneshot prologue to this story. I wanted to explain everything in this story, but it got too long. Hope it answers some of your questions on this fic!

Please let me know what you think! I appreciate it :) Still looking for beta!


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **If

**Summary:** [SasuHina] "He's a traitor and a rival. He doesn't deserve you, and doesn't love you, Hinata," the head Hyuga said coldly. Sasuke clenched his fists, "Everything you said is true, except for what you said last."

**Rating:** T (or PG-13)

**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Pairings: **SasuHina duh...

**Disclaimer:** Nope. Not a chance of owning Naruto

**AN:** It's so great to see so many old faces, and new faces...err names. Thanks to: **_Mangekyoprince, Nyancat, Kiritori, littlewitch88, sKyLaR KnIgHt, ImCutePoison, FallenRaindrops, 1, Saki-Hime, Emeryald, Park hye lin, Gaaramino, Shinari, lol, sasulover, Riokudragon, MeltYouWithOneKiss, and the sage_**.

You guys made me smile, laugh and cry. I dedicate this chap to all you committed readers out there.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: He Offered<strong>

"_Ma chere Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride  
>and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight.<br>And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a  
>chair as the dining room proudly presents - your dinner!"<em>

_~Be our guest, Alan Menken/Howard Ashman_

* * *

><p>The first rays of Sunlight filtered through the bay windows of the bedroom, providing an inviting glow to the Uchiha's bedroom.<p>

_Beep!_

A hand slapped the alarm, allowing it to drop with a clatter by his bed. The prince yawned, running his fingers through his bird-nest hair. Peeking at his clock, he was thankful it wasn't a school day. For one, he wasn't ever a morning person, the only time he would do something as absurd as waking before dawn was for missions.

Once he finished breakfast, consisting of several energy bars the blonde had brought him and a glass of water. After scrambling his fridge for signs of edible food, it didn't surprise him that there was in fact nothing he could peel open without releasing putrid odors into the kitchen. A Mars bar wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. He concluded and shut the double oak doors.

Once out in the warmth of the sun, he caught a glimpse of a white parchment engraved undoubtedly with his name in cursive letters. _Odd._ he raised an eyebrow. Since when did the postman work on Saturdays? _Never. _

Neatly removing the flap, his eyes breached over the contents at lightning speed, but stopped and re-read to make sure he wasn't in fact half-asleep.

When he finally grasped the full message, he smirked while shredding the flowery letter into halves, then quarters, then eighths.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hinata was recovering fast; faster than any of the doctors had predicted in fact Within days, she had passed her complete physical, not with flying colors, but passable which allowed her to leave for sporadic walks in the vicinity of the hospital.

"I can walk you know," the blue-haired beauty beamed.

"I know…But are you sure?" A concerned Sakura knitted her eye-brows. After hearing the kunoichi's return, she had offered to reschedule her part-time job as an assistant nurse to watch over her injured friend. Hinata was thankful beyond belief, after all, the resonant circles around the pink-haired woman spoke enough of her busy part-time job at the hospital.

"Positive," the heiress replied.

"Um Hinata.." he began. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course," the girl replied. "Don't act like we're strangers."

Emerald eyes blinked twice began commencing.

"I was just wondering...Did Sasuke say mention me before you returned?" she quickly added. "Anything at all?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as images flashed through Hinata's mind; images of her waking up to the smell of blood, waking up in the middle of a nightmare for five months. Five. Torturous. Hopeless. Endless. Months.

But each time, there was someone watching her. At first with distain, but then with concern, giving her a vague sense of…_communion._She had wished she could tell her friend from the beginning, but couldn't find the strength to recount the memories without feeling sickened to the core. The last five months had made her feel tainted.

"I'm sorry, but he didn't say anything."

The pink from her cheeks faded as she moved her bangs to one side. Hinata wish she knew the right words to say, but found none. Perhaps taken at face value it had meant very little, but she was sympathetic to her friend's childhood crush.

"Look" she patted her shoulders timidly. "Once I leave this place, let's celebrate at Ichiraku with the others. It'll be fun."

"Hinata, haven't you heard?" Sakura replied wearily. "Your father's planning your return ball on the day you sign out from the hospital."

The heiress tilted her head in confusion.

"From what I've heard, it's pretty exclusive too, with your whole extended family coming..." her voice trailed off.

_But why would he schedule anything for me?_ She asked herself; especially after his piercing remarks less than a week ago. _What was the meaning behind this? _

"And Neji's been busy handing out invites as well." The pink-haired woman retrieved a flower parchment from her satchel and handed it to her friend.

Still overwhelmed with the novel information, she scanned the contents quickly, eyes widening with disbelief.

"Seven o'clock? At a hotel?" she exclaimed almost to herself. "Why didn't I hear _anything_about this?"

Sakura shrugged, "A surprise?"

"But he would never..."

That part was true. After all these years, whether it was birthdays or anniversaries, Hinata was always the first to know, being the future heiress to the clan. After all, her father was not exactly the one to keep secrets; he was as blunt as a hammer when it came to dealing with the clan's affairs.

"Come to think of it, Neji's advertising wasn't exactly secretive," Sakura nodded in agreement.

Somehow the pieces of the jigsaw just didn't fit. She couldn't find a plausible reason for her father to do this. But again, she knew her father well enough to know that nothing was without a purpose, let alone something this grand.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He found her returning from her walk on the second floor, and ambushed her.

"Wha-" hands immediately silenced her lips as snowy eyes met charcoal. It was inevitable she'd find him here, she surmised. After what his father said, she almost forgot what it was like to be in his presence, because whatever happened in the months before were fading in the rear view mirror. Fading not because she wanted to, but because she was a Hyuga, and he was an Uchiha. If those names were ever engraved in something called fate, they would never be tangent to one another.

"Hello," she said nervously.

"How's your wound?" His gaze fell to her abdomen, shielded underneath a long sleeved, hospital shirt. He couldn't make out the details, but knew couldn't have miraculously healed on its own.

"The nurses said I should be fine with some rest and narcotics," she explained trying to ease the concerned look in the Uchiha's eyes. It was as if she was a transparent piece of glass whenever he stared at her. There was nothing to hide. If there was one thing he was born with, it was detecting lies.

In reminiscence, she really had not felt any adverse symptoms…until now. Her head was spinning, while her eyes were experiencing mild black-outs. Nothing like this had ever happened. She blamed it on her sleep-deprivation. This had got to be the worst timing possible and before she knew what was happening, her hands clutched onto Sasuke's arm for support.

"I'm- fine."

"Dammit Hinata!" Ever inch of muscle on his body tensed. She was clearly not fine. It was only a matter of time before the narcotics did any physical harm. Irritated, he lifted her up in his staunch arms and headed out the door.

"Hey-" The girl oddly had the energy to protest. "I said I was fine. Put me down!"

They headed down the corridor, through a crowd of nurses who giggled at the pair with fascination. She could feel heat rising to her face as words such as 'cute' and 'couple' floated through her ears.

"No," he said nonchalantly.

For once, he was slightly concerned with her leaving the hospital unattended. What if he wasn't around next time? What if she was reckless enough to fall not into his arms, but a cement wall? He pictured the possibilities and found them disturbing to say the least.

"Sasuke..." she pouted her lips, just enough to make him reconsider putting her down.

But by all means, he wasn't about to let her attempt something stupid…again.

So he resumed a smirk and said, "Nice try princess."

He could've laughed at the way she was pouting in his arms if he forgot that they were in a hospital.

Once he returned her to her room, he sat at the edge of her bed.

"Sasuke you..." he could feel her heart-beat increase since they left the room.

"Me...?" he repeated, watching her cross her arms. He could have sworn this was the only woman bold enough complain being picked up by an Uchiha. Some would have done anything to be swept off their feet by the man in question.

"You..." she said breathless.

"Yes?" he tilted his head mockingly.

"You...are despicable," she finished; her navy hair slightly tussled from struggling with Sasuke's iron-like arms.

"And you are the most reckless person I've ever met." He shook his head. "You never cease to amaze me how you get through the day without bruising yourself from head to –"

The heiress slapped his arm gently. _Too bad, live with it. _She thought. Of course, not everyone was as perfect as the _prince, _in any way, shape or form.

The abrupt opening of the patient room door dissolved her thoughts. Two doctors in lab coats bolted through the door.

"My Apologies, but there have been an emergency." The older, spectacled man began.

"There was a serious incident with the ANBU mission to Mizugakure yesterday. They've been targeted by foreign rogue shinobi. We have four jonins currently in a coma, and…" he hesitated briefly.

"Because of the lack of room in the intensive care units…."

Sasuke answered for them, "You would like to relocate some patients."

Both doctors nodded in unison. Having eavesdropped on their conversation, one of the older patients across the room cursed at the idea of being relocated.

"If possible, we would like to know the address of who you will be staying with."

Hinata felt Sasuke watching her carefully, but couldn't meet his gaze. She was about to reply when a voice beat her to it.

"She can stay with me."

Her heart stopped, as she turned toward the man next to her. Was she dreaming? Did she just hear him say what she thought she did?

Everything around her seemed to fast-forward at a pace that disallowed her to think. She watched as the _prince _followed the doctors through the door to complete the paperwork. What she couldn't understand was not what Sasuke had said, but her own hesitation.

_How hard was it to tell them where she lived? The home she had lived in for her entire life?_ She bit her lips in frustration. Was it because there was somewhere else she'd rather be?

Before she could ponder, an outstretched hand appeared before her.

"Ready to go?"

Still dazed at the idea of living with the _prince, _she found herself sitting in the front leather seats of his Black Porsche.

Once Sasuke pulled up through the drive way, she let out a shriek of exclamation causing the man beside her to step on the brakes a little too harshly.

When he discovered the object of her concern, he raised an elegant eyebrow.

But Hinata was too shocked to care. A massive marble building loomed before them, with Classical Ionian Columns leading to a front patio adorned with an assortment of flowery shrubs. Beyond the patio, she could make out the silhouette of an open garden to the rear of the building, with miniature fountains cradled by lush emerald grass.

Was this what fortune brought you?

With her jaw still open, she was even unaware when her side of the car door opened, and Sasuke was standing outside wearing a bored expression.

"You…" Her mouth had suddenly gone dry. "You live here?"

"Hn." He said casually, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he guided her up the stairs.

The double swinging doors unlocked by themselves, as a formally-dressed maid greeted them.

When the day was over, Sasuke mentally noted to thank the blonde for arranging maid services that morning, so the house wouldn't be too much of a disaster by the time he returned by dusk.

"Take her upstairs," he instructed. "And find her a room to stay in."

The maid nodded, and led her by the hand up the spirally marble stairs.

"When you're hungry, come down for dinner," Sasuke advised.

"Actually," she said. There was a rumbling sound in which both the Uchiha prodigy and the maid stopped to listen leaving the kunoiichi's cheeks to resemble the color of a raw tomato.

"Dinner sounds great right about now."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I was really inspired by this review by "the sage"

_What I love about your story is that it makes you feel like you're part of the plot. _

That's exactly what we hope to do. Readers out there, don't be a spectator, you're _part_ of it, so share your thoughts.


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